Conversations

When I'm at work, many of my conversations are one-sided.  Most of the people I work with on a daily basis are, for the most part, non-verbal or have limited conversational skills.  That's not to say that they don't communicate though!  Many of them have learned various ways of letting me know their desires or getting my attention (like banging on a desk every time I walk by so he can wave hello to me).  Several have some knowledge of sign language, some speak in one-word or short, familiar phrases, and some don't speak at all.  We manage to get through our days together just fine.

However, my conversations completely change once I pick Brynn up from pre-school.  How did I get such a chatty child?  Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk....chat, chat, chat, chat, chat....talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.  And there's always some singing in between the talking!  It amazes me how verbal Brynn has become and some of the language she uses...appropriately!  There's never a dull moment when she's around, and I never know what or whom we'll end up talking about.  All I know is that this child loves to talk, and the teacher and speech pathologist in me can't bear to tell her to be quiet! 

Here are a few of out recent conversations....

"Mama, can we get a kangaroo?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because they don't belong in the house and would make a mess."
"But Mama, they hop!"

Gotta love the logic behind that one!

"Mama, my tummy hurts."
"I'm sorry, Brynn."
"Don't be sorry, Mama.  You didn't do anything wrong."



She even loves to talk on the phone!



Out and About

I decided to keep Brynn home from pre-school today and spend the day doing fun things with her instead.  We started our day at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.  It was a really quiet morning there, which was great, because she could run around and explore without crashing into everyone.  And when I say run, I mean run!  This child does not know the meaning of the word walk.  It's no wonder she gains weight so slowly!!!  Anyways, the museum was nice.  She's been a few times before, but hadn't really gotten up the courage to really explore and try out new things.  Today, she stood on the earthquake simulator, rode on the submarine (which simulates going under Lake Ontario), and dug for fossils. 





Digging for fossils



Don't you just love the look?



            



After lunch, we made a quick stop at Nazareth to pay a surprise visit to Mana.  Brynn loves to visit her at work and draw pictures at her desk. 

Finally, it was off to lunch at Bill Gray's.  I love their cheeseburgers, and they have a mac & cheese kid's meal, so it's a win for both of us! 

I love being able to spend extra time with my favorite girl! 

On a side note, this makes 2 days in a row I've posted....off to a good start for the Ultimate Blog Challenge!  Let's see if I can keep this up for the entire month!  Also, doing something fun with Brynn was on my list of goals for my week off.  I try to do fun things with her every day, but for the week, I wanted to spend the day with her doing things we don't normally have time to do.  One thing checked off my list of goals!  I attempted to scrapbook yesterday afternoon, but I took one look at my craft room and decided it needed an overhaul, so instead of actually getting pages done, I cleaned and did some organizing instead.  Hopefully now I'll be able to find things a little easier and actually get something accomplished! 

Hope everyone has a great day!!!







Goals

I am on vacation this week.  Not a "go somewhere fun, sit on a beach" vacation, but just some time off from work and some much-needed mental recuperation.  Last week was a rough week, so this couldn't have come at a better time.  I don't generally go away on vacation, and I usually make a "to-do" list, things I'd like to get done while I'm home, and I've done a list again for this week. 

One of my goals is to blog every day.  Actually, one of my goals is to blog every day this month!  I joined a blog challenge, in hopes that it would keep me motivated and give me something to write about on days when my mind goes blank (which seems to happen quite frequently lately).  So far, so good....it's Day #1 and here's my post!!! 

Here's a list of my goals for the week.  I'll post later in the week with an update as to how much I've actually crossed off my list.

• clean the closet in the den
• sort out the Christmas gifts I've already purchased and make a list of what I still need to buy (for those that don't know me very well, I like to have all my shopping done by Thanksgiving!)
• scrapbook 10 complete layouts (I'm waaaaay behind!)
• spend a day doing something fun with Brynn
• steam clean the basement carpet
• get my car inspected
• frame 5 finished cross stitch pieces
• set up facebook and etsy pages for my business (more to come on that later)

I'm off to tackle one of these items, just not sure which one yet!  Wish me luck!!!

Recent Projects

Cross stitch is my outlet, a source of relaxation.  I love starting new projects, which would account for the number of unfinished pieces I have.  I rarely make pieces for myself; most of them are for gifts.  Here are a few of the recent ones I’ve completed and given, using several of my favorite patterns.  I love the flexibility of these patterns.



made for my friend Wendy’s 4-year old son




for my friend Heather’s little boy




made for my friend Wendy’s 3-year old daughter




made for my friend Wendy’s new baby




for my friend Heather’s new little girl




for my friend Jeremy’s new baby




for Brynn's bedroom



Farewell, my friend

It was just last week that D rolled into my office, crashing into the doorframe on the way, with a piece of paper on his lap.  “What’s that,” I had asked him.  His quick response…”It’s a picture of you.”  He held up the piece of paper, and this was the picture. 

That’s the kind of quick wit and humor that made D so lovable.  From the first day I met him in 2009, we had an instant connection.  Might have been the fact that we were both sarcastic and understood each other’s sense of humor.  Might have been the fact that he was always in a good mood and could always make people smile.  Whatever it was, right or wrong, he was one of my favorite people to work with.  When I was working at my first jobsite, he would drive himself (in his power wheelchair) into my office every morning and ask me when I was going to start working.  Never mind that I had been there since 7am and usually had 3 things going at the same time.  And every day, he would ask about my daughter, how she was doing, what new things she was doing, if I had any new pictures of her, and when I was going to bring her to visit.  I spent countless hours working with him in the small store in that building, helping him make change and wait on customers.  It was during those times that we had some of our best conversations. 

I transferred to a new jobsite in April, and D shortly followed me to that new site.  Ok, so he wasn’t really following me, but he was there due to some medical issues and some decline in physical abilities.  But he was the same old D, quite-witted, funny, and constantly harassing me.  His passing was unexpected and quite a shock, and I think it will take a while for the reality to set in.  I already miss him visiting my office, whacking me as I pass by, and telling me to get to work.  However, I am blessed to have gotten to know him and will never forget his smiling face.  Rest in peace, D, and know that you will be missed!

I miss.....

Recently, I've been missing some people, more than usual.  Living in a city where I have no family, or at least no blood relatives, is definitely not an easy thing.  There are days when I wish I could just hop in my car and have dinner with my mom and dad, or have a piece of my grandmother's pie, or spend time with my brothers.  The reality is, that's just not possible.  Yes, there are only 5 hours away, but everyone has busy lives and jobs and responsibilities that make visits fewer than I would like.  Trips home (yes, I still call it "home") have to be planned.  Most trips home revolve around a holiday, which is great for seeing everyone, but not so great for actually spending quality time with them, if that makes sense.  It's difficult to really talk to people when there are over 20 of us crammed into my grandmother's house, including several small children.  Don't get me wrong, I love these holiday get-togethers, I just wish there was more time for catching up.

Thinking about how much I've been missing my family has led me to think about other things I have also been missing...

I miss sleeping!  I can't remember the last night I slept well.

I miss scrapbooking and many of the people I used to do it with.  I definitely need to get back into this hobby and find people to scrap with.

I miss some of the families and kids I used to work with as a Special Education teacher.  Thankfully, technology and Facebook have allowed us to keep in touch and reconnect!

I miss being able to fit into some of the cute clothes in my closet.  I'm hoping this will happen again soon though (I've lost 29 pounds so far...).

I miss some of the people, both staff and clients, at my old work site.  While the switch in job sites I made in April was the best thing I could have ever done, there are definitely a few people I wish I could see on a regular basis.

I miss the care-free days of college.  Why was I in such a rush to be a grown-up???

GBE 2 Challenge-Hidden

This is definitely not the easiest topic for me to write about, as I tend to be a pretty private person.  In thinking about what to write, I have realized that I keep many things in my life hidden from almost everyone.  Political feelings, what's going on in certain relationships in my life, the full stories behind things that have happened, diagnoses I've received, personal struggles, just to name a few.  I don't talk to many people about personal things, simply because there aren't many people I'm that comfortable with.  I think that's one of the reasons that I've always liked to write.  Writing has always been an outlet for me, a means of "talking" to someone about everything. 

That being said, there is one person in my life who knows absolutely everything there is to know, who has been there for me through thick and thin, who I would trust with my life.  I have the most amazing best friend in the world!  When there's big news in my life, she's the first one I usually tell.  We've been friends since 7th grade, having met in the halls of our extremely small school, and we clicked from day one and were pretty much inseparable.  Even though she changed schools halfway through 10th grade, we remained close, often spending weekends at each other's house.  We played softball for opposing schools, meeting on the sidelines after games to talk.  We talked on the phone on a regular basis.  After graduation, I moved to Rochester for college and she left for Virgina.  At that time, e-mail wasn't readily available like it is today, so we relied on old-fashioned letter-writing.  I always looked forward to getting mail from her and hearing about what was going on in her life, so far away.

Today, 20 years after high school graduation (yes, 20 years!!!), we are still the best of friends.  Time and distance haven't done anything to our relationship, and today, I feel like we are closer than ever.  I am thankful to have her in my life!!!  

Thank you, Kim, for everything you do for me, for all the love and support you give me, and for accepting me for exactly who I am!